To quote the sage advice of the Springfield, MO band, "Big Smith": "If we didn't have those bugs attachin', we'd never know the joy of scratchin'" :) My job requires me to be miles in the wildnerness all day, nearly every day, all summer long. So, I just CAN'T use the poisons because I'd constantly be bathing in them. We just duct tape the bottom of our pant legs to our hiking boots, tuck in our shirts, and keep a roll of duct tape handy for seed ticks. Otherwise, we just enjoy the glorious feeling that comes from scratching those bites! Makes us know that it's truly summertime! Generally, we have between 1 and 1000 ticks on us by the time we get home, but we're happy and tired and know we're ALIVE! I know, I know, this isn't really helpful advice to most. But really, aside from the slim chance of a disease, there's really a lot of psychology involved in the desire to be rid of the "pests". Also, FWIW, I've heard that a tick must be attached 6-12 hours before a disease can be transmitted, presumably because the tick must be filled with some blood to have it sqeezed/regurgitated back into your body during removal. So, if you just keep up with picking them off....

Which model?

Unvented fireplaces are problematic. I think they are outlawed in Canada and, in my opinion, should be outlawed here because they are dangerous and harmful to indoor air quality. Building codes in many communities outlaw them, especially in sleeping rooms because of the risk of oxygen depletion and/or carbon monoxide buildup. Consumer Reports has a good article on the subject available free of charge in their website. If there is an uncomplicated and not too costly way to vent your gas logs, doing so with eliminate the problem you described. But if you depend on gas logs to provide serious heat, you should consider upgrading to a direct vent system. They are safe and highly energy efficient. Go to the FIREPLACE forum and plug in direct vent in the search engine to find out more about them.

We had wood burning, and while I very much enjoyed the sights, sounds, warmth of a wood burning fire, we converted to gas. I do not miss the dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the fireplace. While we had wood, we were able to cut our own firewood which was a satisfying project at our ages then. I suppose we could still do it now, but cutting, loading, hauling and splitting wood aren't very high on my list of satisfying chores these days - and ordering, buying firewood has become expensive. Truthfully, we don't use the gas fireplace that often. This sprawled out one story house (1955) isn't hard to heat with natural gas radiant in the ceilings. I have the fire going during storms, or for the ambiance occasionally and when expecting winter guests and wanting the house to feel welcoming.